


We Were Friends Once

by the_Sagest_brush



Category: TAZ Amnesty - Fandom, The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone Amnesty (Podcast)
Genre: Basically just a long ass dialogue prompt, Boyde Mosche thinks Ned Murdered him, I mean obviously death, Idk I'm just in the mood for writing and this is the prompt that came to me, Lup is there for all of 20 seconds but she's there, Ned Chicane in the Astral Plane, Reaper!Lup, but the scary part's already happened, definitely swearing, just drama/drabble/whatever, so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-06-28 13:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19813411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_Sagest_brush/pseuds/the_Sagest_brush
Summary: Wow, what an angsty title for a so-so fic about two crime men talking about how one may or may not have murdered the other.Ned shows up in the Astral plane and Boyde has some WORDSI was aiming for more fun to read/fun to write than accurate or y'know, angstyTeen for language, because... swearingAs said in the Tags this is mostly just a long-ass dialogue, but I enjoyed writing it so here it is.





	We Were Friends Once

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Ned dropped ooc there a bit and I don't even know about Boyde, but I'm too tired to fix it. 
> 
> Does everyone in this fandom write Boyde as Boyd? am I the only one who writes it with the E? Why do I do that? Idk I just like how it looks with an E.

"Huh"

Ned Chicane opened his eyes surprised a little by the lack of pain he felt. 

The last thing he remembers seeing were the stars over Kepler, and now, it appears he is surrounded by them. Slowly Ned sits up and realizes he's on an island, surrounded by a glassy smooth sea lit from above and below by millions of tiny glowing lights. Its different than the stars over Kepler, but no less beautiful

If this is death, its not so bad. Ned has certainly been expecting worse, he had pretty well fucked up Aubrey's whole life, betrayed Duck and everyone else at Amnesty and been an all-around terrible person for most of his life. And that was all without the Abomination ever interfering. Ned winces thinking about Aubrey, hopefully, she stays mad at him. It's so much easier that way. 

Ned's spent a long time blaming his problems on ghosts. He hopes Aubrey will do better. Ned smiles slightly, of course, she will, both she and Duck are better people than Ned ever was. 

Ned stands up slowly and looks out across the sea. He walks a few steps into the water. it ripples around his feet, it's warm, pleasantly so. Ned stands up to his knees in the water and relishes the feeling for a moment. 

"NED FUCKING CHICANE" The shout echos across the sea and Ned jumps and spins around

Boyde Mosche stalks towards him, a heavy glare twisting his features.

"Mosche," Ned says wearily. "What do you want."

"Oh well, its cute of you to play innocent Ned after choking the life out me in my hotel room, but I'm really not in the mood." Boyde has come to a stop inches from Ned who, under normal circumstances would be intimidated, but, 1 he's dead and 2...

"I _what_?" Ned blinks, then, his brain catches up, the hand-shaped bruises on Boyde's neck, the way the abomination had known where everything was... "Son of a bitch, that thing really did want to just royally fuck me over huh." 

Boyde blinks. "In case you weren't listening Chicane I-" 

"As flattering as I find it that you think I could actually manage to strangle you Boyde, I'm sorry to tell you that I didn't have that particular pleasure. Instead, I imagine you are another victim of a shapeshifter abomination." They are dead, no point in continuing the Facade, Ned thinks. 

Boyde splutters angrily for a minute. "You're a decent liar Ned." He says after a moment, "But exactly how dumb do you think I am."

"Well, you did think it was a good idea to rob a house while the people were still in it," Ned says acidly. "Oh, and instead of leaving when we got caught you had to finish filling your pockets so that we had to get into a high-speed chase and then crash the imperial into a tree and knock yourself out. But no I didn't really think you'd believe me, you never listened even when I was talking sense."

"Firstly I don't even know your real name, let alone anything else about you, and secondly; If I remember correctly, it was your clumsy ass that got caught and fucked up what was going to be the biggest score of our lives," Boyde says venomously. "As I recall you took your share and ditched me in the coup and never even thought about me after you got away with the loot I scouted. It seems to me that as soon as I got out of prison and wanted my share you decided to fucking _murder me_."

"How much imagination do you think I have Mosche my name is Edmund Chicane and for the record, I tried to get you out of the fucking car but the door was wrecked and I couldn't get it open." They're practically nose to nose already but Ned leans in closer for an instant. "look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't have ditched me in the car if our positions had been switched."

Ned is not shocked when Boyde drops his eyes, they always were thieves first and partners second. Ned is shocked by the soft betrayal in Boyde's voice when he says. "But _why_ Ned? Why kill me? I just wanted to go home." The unspoken "and now I never can" hangs between them for a minute.

Ned steps back and turns back to look at the ocean.

"Look Mosche, I won't say the thought didn't cross my mind when you started threatening my new life. But killing you? Do I really strike you as that kind of guy?" Ned sighs heavily. "Look, Kepler is - a weird town. I'll keep it short, there are monsters that keep attacking town. I was - accidentally recruited."

Boyde actually snorts a laugh. "Who on god's green earth would recruit you to hunt monsters?" 

Ned smirks. "Well, they didn't have much choice after I met Bigfoot." 

"Ned" Boyde says warningly

"What?"

"I am this close."

"To what? We're both dead Mosche. Are you going to let me tell my fucking story or not?"

Boyde is silent for a minute, and then he chuckles. "Alright fine you met Bigfoot, and got recruited into fighting monsters."

"Oh and as fate would have it, I ended up working with the kid from that last house we burgled and the fire killed her Fucking mother. So that was the other thing hanging over my head when you showed up and demanded I steal from one of the few people who actually tolerated my presence." Boyde bristles at that. 

"Do you want to get back into this Ned because I've been planning this fight since I got thrown in prison. Which incidentally happened because you got cold feet on a simple caper. It's not my fault you couldn't deal with the consequences of your own shitty choices Ned. You chose to be a thief, and the fallout finally caught up to you, not my fucking fault."

"You're a damn thug Mosche, don't try and get the moral high ground on me." Ned hisses

"Then tell me where I'm wrong." Boyde dares. Ned starts to reply, but - Boyde has a point and Ned's bluster deflates slowly. They stand in silence for a minute.

"You gonna tell your yarn or not," Boyde says gruffly.

Ned grits his teeth, then sighs. 

"A'right yeah sure. we fought some monsters and it went ok for a bit, but they started getting stronger and more un-predictable. The last one showed up about a week ago. It's a shapeshifter that wants to start a war" Ned sighs "This sounds so fucking stupid." 

"You've never let that stop you before."

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying..."

"Anyway, the most recent abomination is a shapeshifter, which we found out the hard way after getting trapped with it in a morgue. It could also create rifts which it dragged me through and, read my memories I guess. I don't know it was fuckin' weird. anyway, that's probably how it found out about you. The abomination's whole goal seemed to be to reveal everything about the monsters to the town and start a war, which. I'll be honest, when I bit it, looked pretty likely." 

Boyde is quiet for a minute. 

"Well damn, Ned this is a long way beyond your usual lies."

"Well, Boyde that's because my lies are believable." Ned snaps. "Why the fuck would I make that up?"

Whatever Boyde is going to say next is cut off by a hoarse whispering voice behind them. " _Names_."

Both men jump and pivot. 

"What the _Fuck_." They say in unison staring at the faceless apparition floating in a long hooded red robe and holding an impressive scythe. 

" _Names_." It hisses again. 

"Ned Chicane." Ned says. 

"Boyde Mosche" Boyde says. 

The apparition raises a hand and the scythe is gone, in its place, a large book, skeletal hands thumb through the heavy pages, finally pausing and running one finger bone down the page. 

"Edmund Chicane middle name Fucking et al?" It says, in slightly less spectral tones, slightly more like someone trying really hard not to laugh.

Boyde snorts and Ned grins "That'd be me." 

"We've almost met several times." The spectre says studying the book. "You've had an interesting eight months. Definitely thought we had you with the pizza hut sign."

"Not gonna lie, I was pretty sure that one had done me in," Ned admits, the strangeness of the interaction drawing the truth out of him. The spectre chuckles and starts flipping pages again.

"Boyde Mosche." It says slowly drawing a hand down the page. "Boyde Mosche... Ah yes." The spectre pauses as though considering whether or not to say anything

"Alias Harry Power," Boyde says tiredly. "Yeah, that's me." Ned hmmms thoughtfully. 

"Interesting." The spectre says. 

"Well, you both appear to know you're dead, welcome to the astral plane, this is the sea of souls, which you may enter when you are ready. Should you attempt to escape and return to the plane of the living, you will be confined to the Eternal stockade for a sentence as deemed fit by the Raven Queen." The spectre snaps it's book shut and eyes the two of them. 

"I think I've done enough time while I was alive thanks," Boyde mutters with a side-wise glare at Ned who rolls his eyes. 

"Well, that takes care of business." With a flash, the book disappears and the spectre is slightly less spectral. They can see sharp teeth in a playful grin and long braided hair and pointed ears.

"If you get bored waiting for whoever you're waiting for there's a house over there." A loose gesture with a sleeve. "Magnus and Jules'll be happy to have you. Now, not to clock out and ditch but... I got a thing." Still grinning, the elf? bounces on her toes and jumps lightly backwards through a rift in the air which closes neatly behind her. 

Boyde and Ned stand in silence for a minute. 

"A'right." Boyde says finally.

"Yeah." Ned says. 

"You see much of that shit while fighting monsters?"

"Not exactly, no."

**Author's Note:**

> Yay reaper Lup! Hope you liked her :)


End file.
